Godspeed, General!

The one we should be hoping, nay praying, for is the survival of Pervez Musharraf. The General does not have many fans in India but I believe he is the one Pakistani we can do business with after the United States has finished with its messy bombing. In spite of his thirst for avenging 1971, despite his deep antipathy to our secular democracy, he is, above all, a realist. Witness the speed and firmness with which he capitulated to American demands on the eve of Operation Enduring Freedom. More: he had the guts to tell his countrymen that Pakistan had no choice but to join the international coalition in a war against an enemy he himself had created, nurtured and sustained.

Also note the changed tone and tenor of voices from across the border. It is a pleasure these days to read Pakistani commentators of all hues competing with each other in denouncing their country’s Afghan policy. They haven’t like Lady Nadira Naipaul yet called the Taliban "vermin", but words and phrases like "millstone", "albatross", "cruel bigots" abound. The veteran journalist, M.B. Naqvi, put it best in Outlook last week: "Heavens be praised that Bush, bin Laden, Mullah Omar have made it possible for Pakistan to get out of Afghanistan."

Rather than continually try and embarrass Pakistan, India must seize the opportunity to help write a new chapter in our troubled relationship. For the first time in 54 years, India, Pakistan and the US are on the same side. We are fighting terrorism together. There is a logic and momentum in this development which a realist like Musharraf must and will see. Our job is to wish him godspeed.